State House Secretary of Digital Communication Dennis Itumbi on Tuesday highlighted the misery Joseph Irungu aka Jowie — a suspect in the murder of Monica Kimani — was going through in custody.
Through a Facebook post, Itumbi revealed how the accused had pleaded with the court to be taken to hospital for treatment and the doctor’s concern that his injured arm was wasting away.
“Jowie tells Court: "I am being tortured at Kamiti..."
Court: Prosecution should investigate the claims. A Kenyan is saying he has been tortured. We should not debate. Go investigate
Jowie: I have also not been treated, because Government has pending bills to Kenyatta. I am willing to pay for my medication. I pray that I get admitted for surgery today.
Prisons: It is logistically impossible to take him to hospital today. We do not have a car and we have to write to Commissioner of Prisons to allocate a guard at hospital.
Doctor: He is visibly in pain. His hand is wasting away. He is sick. Please treat it as an emergency
Prosecution: No objection.
Court: Surely, we cannot hold a man in need of medication. What if he dies in our hands? Is it possible to allow the family to produce a car and prisons provide guard. I order that the accused be admitted at KNH today, whether Gvt owes KNH money or not. No fee should be demanded from the accused. If he is not admitted today, the court will allow him to seek medical treatment at a hospital of his choice
It is so ordered,” wrote Itumbi.
The post drew reactions from netizens who empathized with Jowie and how he had been handled throughout the case.
“I don't know why I have a funny feeling about this case... Jowie is human and needs treatment regardless.. If anything happens to him while in custody, I don't know... He's been treated like he's already convicted which is not right,” wrote one Facebook user.
“This guy needs treatment!! I'm sorry to mention, but it's barely a month that someone passed on while in custody under the same conditions! We need to learn from our own experiences,” wrote another.
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